by Deb Kalmbach | comfort, encouragement, faith, fear, God's faithfulness, hope, life, Uncategorized
This past week, the topic of conversation nearly everywhere I went, was the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris. The horror of what happened there and in other places–Lebanon, Nigeria, and now Mali, is beyond belief. How can this happen? How can a group of people...
by Deb Kalmbach | devotional, encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, hope, Uncategorized
I recently enjoyed some coffee time with a few girl friends at the delightful 3 Bears Cafe and Quilts in our small town. It’s the kind of place where you feel good just being there, surrounded by bolts of bright-colored fabrics and a warm, welcoming atmosphere....
by Deb Kalmbach | comfort, compassion, encouragement, gratitude, loss, Uncategorized
When we moved to the Methow Valley in North Central Washington almost 20 years ago, my husband Randy and I were naive about the risks of wildfires. We purchased some property in a high risk fire area, not thinking about the implications of building a home in the...
by Deb Kalmbach | addiction, alcoholism, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, grace, hope, legacy, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, prayer, reconciliation, substance abuse
I heard the news that a young couple in our community is getting a divorce after only one year of marriage. What went wrong? All I know is this is a tragedy. I remember the wedding announcement we received with their bright smiling faces, their eyes so filled with...
by Deb Kalmbach | dog, encouragement, grief, loss, love, marriage
I knew the day was coming, but I didn’t expect it to arrive so soon. “Soon” is relative, because 15 years can seem like a long time or pass by in a blink. It’s the blink side I’m experiencing today. We said goodbye to our faithful canine...
by Deb Kalmbach | addiction, alcoholism, blessings, comfort, compassion, difficult relationships, God's faithfulness, gratitude, hope, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, recovery, Uncategorized
Several years ago, just before Christmas, my boss and his wife treated my co-workers and me to an afternoon of extravagance. Each of us was pampered with a massage, facial and manicure. As I lay on the massage table having the yummiest-smelling creams applied to my...
![Watch for the Light]()
by Deb Kalmbach | Advent, Christmas, devotional, faith
It’s an early morning in December, still dark outside. I curl up into the overstuffed couch, wrapped in my pink fleece robe. Efforts to get up and be productive are more of a challenge these days with cold, gray mornings and frigid temperatures icing the...
![Be a Burden Bearer]()
by Deb Kalmbach | compassion, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, friendship
When I was 33-years old, I slipped on an icy sidewalk and fractured my knee cap. Ouch! I never dreamed how much something that looked like a simple “skinned knee” could impact my life. In an instant, I had been sidelined. It was as if God had grabbed me...
![After the Firestorm: Finding Out What Matters Most]()
by Deb Kalmbach | Carlton Complex Fire;, encouragement, gratitude, hope
The view from our house on July 17, 2014 I’ve never been so happy to turn a calendar page as I was at the end of August. I flipped the page from August to September, breathing a guarded sigh of relief. Our world has been rocked by the firestorm that blew up on...
![What I’ve Learned through a Lifetime of Marriage]()
by Deb Kalmbach | encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, grace, hope, love, marriage, perseverance
My husband Randy and I recently celebrated 44 years of marriage. Our anniversary celebration at Steak ‘N Shake Wow–how can that be possible when we’re only 30+ years old? Well… we haven’t been that age for a long time, but it’s...
